What does God require of Me?
This is an interesting question to pose, and depending who you ask, then the answer is boundless, but what does God actually ask of us? Micah 6:8 “He hath showed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” It is very interesting to note the terms used in the language, “and to walk humbly with thy God,” and this is clearly depicting, “side by side,” not running ahead, nor drifting off at a tangent, or dragging behind, nor setting up camp by the roadside, but walking with God all along the journey, and this is almost “Marriage Language,” side by side, with every facet of their being, joined at the hip, connected, in constant fellowship, together harmoniously in all the good times and the bad. Here is a different and modern language rendition, that gives us a nice concept, Micah 6:8 MSG “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbour, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously—take God seriously.” Amos 3:3 “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Matthew 12:30 “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.”
Matthew 22:37-40 MSG “Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.” 1 Samuel 15:22-23 “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king.” John 14:15-21 MSG “If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you! I will not leave you orphaned. I’m coming back. In just a little while the world will no longer see me, but you’re going to see me because I am alive and you’re about to come alive. At that moment you will know absolutely that I’m in my Father, and you’re in me, and I’m in you. The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that’s who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him.”
The Message has interesting richness in the language it uses, 1 Samuel 15:22-23 MSG “Do you think all God wants are sacrifices—empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to him! Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production. Not doing what God tells you is far worse than fooling around in the occult. Getting self-important around God is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors. Because you said No to God’s command, he says No to your kingship.” How so very disastrous to get to the end of your life, and to find out that God, the real one that is, is actually your enemy, and vengeance and destruction is about to be heaped upon you, all because we did not listen, all because we did not heed.” Micah in the MSG has it very well put, “It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbour, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously—take God seriously.”
What is fair and Just, is so important, Matthew 7:12 MSG “Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.” Luke 6:37-38 MSG “Don’t pick on people, or jump on their failures, criticizing their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”
So in the end, “What does God require of me?” Firstly, and always is to; “but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? The “Golden Rule” advises us that what we dish out to others, expect the same right back, and then God will add a super abundant serving of that same stuff as well, just for a topping. If you don’t want it, then do not dish it out to anybody. If you claim to love God, the real one, then you will actually live a godly life in Christ Jesus. King Saul was clearly advised that “Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams.” All the fancy and abundant gifts, outward displays are worthless to God, they just show that you do not even know God, Obedience is the actual proof of a Christian Life, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, the proof of salvation is in the living, this is “What God Requires of Me.”
